Scia Varis

[Reign]

SCIA VARIS: the jedi exile

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NAME: Scia Varis
AGE: 34
SPECIES: Human

FACTION: Independent, former Knight of the Jedi Order
RANK: Not applicable
STATUS: Freelance for hire

HEIGHT: 170 cm
WEIGHT: 59 kg
HAIR COLOR: Dark Brown
EYE COLOR: Hazel

BRAWN:

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AGILITY:

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CUNNING:

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INTELLIGENCE:

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WILLPOWER:

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PRESENCE:

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A VICTIM, AN OUTCAST​

Scia was delivered into the Jedi Order at a young age, long before memories of family or home. As such, her family manifested as those men and women and children around her along her path to becoming a Jedi. The path itself, fraught with challenges of self and perseverance, was one she ultimately met conquered into adulthood.

Scia was labeled a child of war, particularly adept in realms of combat and tactics, bearing a frightening instinct in the face of battle, reading and adapting to her opponents as second nature. This instinct led much of her training, focusing greatly on the art of the lightsaber and in enhancing both her own abilities and those around her. She often found herself at the top of her class, rivaled by few and challenged by many. While these strengths were seen as potent by her masters, they recognized the dangers they provided.

This honed strength was also one of her greatest struggles; feeling most comfortable in battle, aggression often took hold and provided the greatest struggles to her advance into Knighthood. Battle entranced the young girl. Emotions were contained when able, but often, Scia found herself lost in the moment, acting and reacting with little thought. While this trust in the force was admirable, it often came paired with knee-jerk emotional responses that teetered dangerously close to the the dark side.

These struggles never really ended, and, ultimately, these shortfalls led Scia to part ways with the order in the face of her inadequacies.

She now does her best to lead her own training, trusting in the force to guide her down a path most suited to who she is, fearful that her struggles will someday inevitably lead her down the wrong path and tear down those close to her in the process.

— — —​

A CHRONICLE​

i: SCIA’S PERSONAL LOG: AGE TWELVE

"Master Fohn chose me to watch. He said I have a great future ahead. In all my time here, I haven't really had a chance like this.

I would love to be Master Fohn's padawan someday. I think I would be the best he's ever trained. He's been here at the temple for, like, ever. I hear he has trained a lot of Knights over the years, and that some of his Knights are the best in the entire Order. I could easily be one just like them.

He tells me that I'm really good with the training saber, but that it won't be enough for me. I need to work on other things like meditation and my senses.

If it gets me a chance to train under Master Fohn, I will in a heartbeat."​

ii: SCIA’S PERSONAL LOG: AGE SEVENTEEN

"I never knew my parents. But I'm no different than anyone else here.

It's a rare thing to meet someone who knows what a mother or father are. What is less rare is to clamor for it. Our masters take us from our families when we're young, and they mean well. How can we miss what we don't know? And it isn't as though we don't have people who care for us. We can see the affection in their eyes as they watch us train and watch us grow.

But as we venture into the world, on those rare occasions where we are taken from the temple and into the bustling city around us, we see what it is we're missing. We see a mother coddle her terrified child; we see a husband embrace his wife after years of military service; we see a daughter in tears as her mother scolds her for some trivial violation of trust.

We're told to empathize, to understand, to internalize, but not to feel. Feelings are dangerous, they say. The greatest of masters don't discourage it, but isn't the warning of where these feelings of envy might lead discouragement? We're told that happiness may lead to disappointment, that love will lead to jealousy, that pride will lead to hubris.

These are feelings I can't shut out. When I do well, I beam. When I catch a padawan's stare out of the corner of my eye, I blush. Shutting out these feelings turns us into robots, and I don't know that I want to live a robot.

Master Fohn has said these feelings are normal for every Jedi. That we as padawan will some day question what we are taught, and that it is normal. But these feelings are a noose around my neck, suffocating the life from me. But that doesn't change the Jedi Code, and it doesn't change the tenants by which we live. I don't want to meditate these feelings away."​

iii: SCIA’S PERSONAL LOG: AGE TWENTY-TWO

"I struggle.

Oh, I struggle. I can sense the anger and fear each and every spar, now. No matter how hard I work to suppress the heat boiling inside of me, I can't. Today, I trained with Master Fohn, a man who has been a father to me for damn-near my entire life. The day he chose me to be his padawan was the greatest day of my life. He has taught me to embrace who I am and how to walk the path of a Jedi all the while.

He says I have made a Knight to be enviable of, but as we sparred, I couldn't stay my hand. I felt my blood boil in my veins each time he deflected a blow or broke through my defense, and as he did, I felt my reactions quicken, my blows strengthen. I could feel my veins burst with adrenaline as I turned his counters and parries to my advantage and as I cornered him in the hall.

I knew what drove my hand.

I knew it wasn't purity or peace, but rather fury. But in the heat, I couldn't stop.

Meditation helps, but only after the fact. What if I can't stop myself in a real battle, where lives are at risk? What if those around me lose their lives because I lack the calm mind needed to shape the tides of war?"​

— — —

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ARSENAL​

Scia excels on the battlefield, and most facets of battle have been honed to a sharp edge. She is notoriously quick on her feet, adaptable, and cunning in the face of nearly any type of enemy. Scia struggles a great deal more with interpersonal relationships, and while her capabilities as a leader in war bear few peers, diplomacy has always been a shortfall.

i: LIGHTSABER

Scia favors Jar'Kai, applying two sabers to combat in order to further overwhelm an opponent with daunting speed. However, she is nearly as proficient with a single blade. From this style, she favors combat in either forms IV or VII, with frequent support in form V to further enhance her saber prowess. Her quick and frequently aggressive approach to battle is one that she has relied on much her life but frequently worried her more disciplined Jedi counterparts.

FORM IV, ATARU:

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FORM V, SHIEN:

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FORM VII, JUYO:

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ii: ARMOR

Scia wears a deep blue long coat that conceals plates of hidden light-duraplast over vital organs in order to offer minor protection to blaster fire. This armor is kept relatively thin and sparse in order to offer some defense while detracting little to none from mobility.​

iii: GEAR

— B-23 Interceptor (Blaster Pistol)
— Datapad (custom-built, wrist-mounted, modified for slicing; includes comlink)
— Macrobinoculars
— Stimpacks (2)
— Dataspikes (5)
— Respirator
— Improvised Probe Droid (powered by small repulsorlifts; about 20cm in diameter with a 2km signal range)
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iv: IMPLANTS

— CVA2 Implanted Cyberjack (permits direct interfacing into terminals; includes a harness at Scia's neck; interfaces with a neural implant linked to her visual cortex)
— Utility belt & hip harness with extended storage space
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— — —

SKILLS & ABILITIES​

i: FORCE ABILITIES

HEAL: Outside of pain suppression and simple manipulation of her own internal systems, Scia shows minimal proficiency in the healing arts.

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ENERGY MANIPULATION: Scia shows some proficiency with energy manipulation as a defensive tactic, shielding herself to outside forces or hiding her force presence when little else is at her disposal.

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MENTAL MANIPULATION: While more invasive manipulation is far from a stength, Scia has a great deal of experience within the realm of subtle manipulation. Most of these abilities enhance stealth; she might reduce her presence in the minds of those around her, making her less noticeable, or even make those who have seen her forget that they had. She might occasionally push on the emotional states of those around her, but this primarily falls within the domain of battle meditation and requires strict focus.

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SENSE: Between preternatural reflexes and her keen sense of what is occurring around her, it is little mystery as to where her martial prowess originates from.

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ACROBATICS: Quick on her feet, able to cross magnificent distances in but a blink, Scia is a creature of dexterity. She is capable of magnificent aerial and ground feats.

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STATUS EFFECTS: A simplified take on battle meditation, Scia becomes entranced in battle instinctively boosting the combat effectiveness of those around her. Those in close proximity find themselves invigorated when fighting beside her, faster, stronger, more aware. This ability requires that Scia be completely engaged in the fight at hand, and outside stimuli, stress, or distractions can break the effect.

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TELEKINESIS: Not a particular strength, Scia's ability to move is more of an embellishment to combat than it is a centerpiece.

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TRANCE: Since leaving the Jedi Order, Scia holds meditation as a cornerstone of her daily routine. The applications are many, but the only outstandingly useful one is a more traditional take on battle meditation, extending the influence of her trance to affect broader battlefields.

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ii: MISCELLANEOUS SKILLS

PILOTING: A skilled pilot, trusting in the gifts of the force and the natural talent these afford. While she is not dedicated to a life in the cockpit, she is formidable.

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SLICING: A top-grade slicer, there are few who can hold a candle to Scia’s ability to bypass security systems or access protected networks. She claims to have always had the ability to do so suggesting perhaps more at play than an acquired skill.

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MECHANICS: Similar to her strengths as a slicer, Scia is formidable with all things mechanical. She can make quick repairs on the fly and maintains her personal probe droid, one built ground-up on her own.

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— — —​

STORIES UNFOLDING​

i: ONGOING THREADS

— of Burdens & Fate​

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[Reign]

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( Relevant ship information will be posted here for hot-linking purposes. )

 

[Reign]

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( Relevant crew or droid information will be posted here for hot-linking purposes. )

 

[Darkwasp]

Interesting character. Is she truly a freelancer for hire, or is that a writer's note to others? If she *is* a freelancer, what drives her to be a free agent? And why doesn't she continue her struggles with the Jedi (where she has support and help)? She still *seems* to care that she doesn't get tainted by the dark side.

These are just a couple of questions that I had (looking it over on my phone). Forgive me if I missed some already answered questions. Formatting can get weird on mobile, for some of the character sheets.

What are her morals now?

 

[Reign]

Interesting character. Is she truly a freelancer for hire, or is that a writer's note to others? If she *is* a freelancer, what drives her to be a free agent? And why doesn't she continue her struggles with the Jedi (where she has support and help)? She still *seems* to care that she doesn't get tainted by the dark side.

These are just a couple of questions that I had (looking it over on my phone). Forgive me if I missed some already answered questions. Formatting can get weird on mobile, for some of the character sheets.

What are her morals now?

I appreciate the questions. All of that is planned and intentionally omitted for the sake of dramatic narrative. Her journals will chronicle critical moments as snippets of her history are revealed. If you are curious, stay tuned.

 

[Elijah Brockway]

She seems to have too much experience in all the different lightsaber forms. For somebody who was a former Knight, most likely she'd be well experienced with one or two lightsaber forms, and really only have enough experience in the others to recognize them if somebody else was using them. Same with the Force powers. With just the number scores and short descriptions I can't really glean all that much from them, but she seems awfully close to having completely mastered multiple different areas of using the Force, which is odd for somebody who was at one point an active Jedi Knight, and now isn't even in the Jedi Order.

Also, it'd be nice if you got ahold of Jedi leadership to make sure they were okay with the history of being a former Jedi, thanks. Assuming she has already left the order. The bio doesn't really say one way or another.

 

[Reign]

She seems to have too much experience in all the different lightsaber forms. For somebody who was a former Knight, most likely she'd be well experienced with one or two lightsaber forms, and really only have enough experience in the others to recognize them if somebody else was using them. Same with the Force powers. With just the number scores and short descriptions I can't really glean all that much from them, but she seems awfully close to having completely mastered multiple different areas of using the Force, which is odd for somebody who was at one point an active Jedi Knight, and now isn't even in the Jedi Order.

I don't know if I would agree on this front. I mean, my numbers fall in range of average to low at best. I would argue there should be only one or two regions of expertise, but that's reflected in my lightsaber forms pretty clearly. Most padawan and Jedi alike would have had some training in many forms if simply to determine which paths are most suited. While there might be a preferred form they rely on most, we see Jedi capable of engaging in 1v1 against another lightsaber, or switching to defensive forms to deflect blaster fire. This is shown in my sheet. I have two forms of proficiency, and everything else is either average or below. This is doubly true considering her speciality is lightsaber combat with force enhancement.

I'd also argue that lightsaber forms are sheet embellishment, as what they mean in combat is secondary to the role-play and actions at play.

This is extra true with force powers and supported by canon. Most Jedi have some skill in everything. They might not be able to walk into a room and achieve great things across the board, but I'd say my sheet reflects that verbatim, both in numbers and othewise.

I would say relative to most sheets I spotted with numbers attributed to skills, I fell on the conservative end. It's also important to note she did spend nearly 30 years in the Jedi Order based on her backstory. I make no claim of her being a master, but the skills I'm attributing to her are relatively rudimentary. If you're hung up with the fact that I have a "5" in a category, I suppose that's fair. But it's not intended to denote mastery so much as it is focus.

Also, it'd be nice if you got ahold of Jedi leadership to make sure they were okay with the history of being a former Jedi, thanks. Assuming she has already left the order. The bio doesn't really say one way or another.

This was written clearly in the character summary in the first section and final paragraph. The Bio is being used a little differently to chronicle the specifics that led her to where she is now. That said, I'll get in touch with Jedi leadership on the matter.

 

[Elijah Brockway]

(I'm saying it's fine if you do, just contact us next time, hi, Jedi AFL here. =P)

Anyways: If the skill ranks mean focus vs. mastery, then I get that. That's a different way than how most people do it, so forgive my confusion there. I'm not arguing against knowing stuff in each facet of study; that's just part of a well-rounded J-ed-ucation. It's moreso just the idea of how, if the skill ranks reflected mastery, then that'd be rather unrealistic. Even if she was a Jedi for thirty years or more - we've got a lot of other Jedi who wouldn't (and don't) have mastery/near mastery of that many facets of Force use, even though they've been Jedi for quite a while. Maybe specific aspects in each facet, yes, but not the overall facet.

But regarding the lightsaber forms, what I'm getting at is based around what's realistic - both in real life and what we see/have seen in Star Wars, for the majority of Jedi and Sith. Even if they are embellishments more than anything. We know Obi-Wan was good with Shii-cho and Ataru, for the most part, and he was a master of Soresu - and he knew enough about other forms to recognize them and fight against them, but not really to use them. That's how it is, for the most part, in real life, in HEMA for example (something Bauren and I both do). When I do longsword techniques, I focus on the overarching style that has been called "German" style longsword. I don't do Italian style. Can I recognize it and perform well against it? Yes. But can I really use it? No.

For the most part, what we've been given to understand in canon, is that most Jedi get a very extremely basic level of training in each of the seven forms before determining which they want to follow and study the most, which is what they then proceed to focus on. A lightsaber focused character could easily focus on two or three of the forms rather than only one or two, but skill levels should vary, especially if they've been an active Jedi, rather than just spending their time academically focusing on increasing their skills and learning other forms. Which is where I come into conflict with what you've got your lightsaber skills at - you've got 5/5 or 4/5 (which most people would term near-mastery, I guess, or at least "highly focused" under your idea) on two of them, 3/5 on another two, 2/5 on the other two, and then 1/5 on the last one. Realistically, I can see one of them being 4/5 or possibly 5/5, but the extreme focus (which doesn't really tell me mastery or anything like that, which is what most people go for with skills like this, and what's listed reflects the focus) would come at detriment to other things - if she was a master in one form, then maybe she could be an average/adept combatant with one or two more since she is so lightsaber focused, and then she'd know the basics of the rest, so that she could teach somebody else those same very basics to help them determine what they want to study more on their own, and so that she could recognize another form. But it wouldn't necessarily be useful in combat or anything like that.

After all, you have to remember - while we're technically all playing superpowered gods among the superpowered gods with our characters, an "average" score would reflect where the vast majority of people who have and use that skill/power/form would be. Being at that level in multiple forms, and then above average in another two, would mean you had spent most likely a vast amount of time focusing on academic study of the forms rather than being an active Jedi Knight. People like Cin Drallig, for example, who know all seven forms and are masters of all seven forms, would be in the extreme minority. Other blademasters or lightsaber instructors, who would be highly skilled in multiple forms, would still be a minority.

Which is what is reflected in real life, in canon, and throughout the site's history, for the most part. =P

Anyways, while you say her leaving the order is written clearly in the summary and what-not, I know that - but I was trying to go off the biography to figure out when she had actually left the order, or if you were wanting to make her first RPs to be her leaving the order or something like that. Which is where I was confused.

EDIT: Also, when I'm referring to canon, I mean both current canon and the old Legends canon.

 

[Reign]

Fair enough.

I tend to use any stat/attribute system as a guide at best. I assumed, as many people altogether neglected a numerical representation of skill, that the actual weight put into these numbers are formative. That's how I've always handled it. 5/5 Brawn doesn't mean my character is the strongest she will ever be with the greatest fortitude she will ever have. It simply means that this is her strongest stat on the scale of distribution. That's how I treated it across the board, including with saber forms.

The most representative write up for this would probably be this:

Scia favors Jar'Kai, applying two sabers to combat in order to further overwhelm an opponent with daunting speed. However, she is nearly as proficient with a single blade. From this style, she favors combat in either forms IV or VII, with frequent support in form VI to further enhance her saber prowess. Her quick and frequently aggressive approach to battle is one that she has relied on much her life but frequently worried her more disciplined Jedi counterparts.

And those would be the styles she acts within most often. Beyond these categories, I was just reflecting various levels of inch-deep familiarity.

I doubt it will ever truly come down to a competitive glance of character sheets to measure the mettle of a battle. Nor even necessarily about the age or scale of a character as we see prodigies with the force or saber regardless of age. I'm assuming this functions much like any forum format where it'll come down to action and posts to determine outcome. And I suspect these focuses as stats or skills are just guides to declare where a character specializes. This is how it's been just about anywhere else I've role-played.

Either way, I appreciate the feedback.

 

[Elijah Brockway]

Oh, it will - and with attributes, and skills, people differ on where these things go. Since going with the numbers sort of description - and, really, the various attributes themselves - is grown out of the d20 system, then it moreso means a score based against what is the average for the population, rather than what is simply the biggest part for the character. That's why, instead, I prefer to go with literary descriptions of these different stats, instead of numbers (if you check my character sheets, for example, you won't find numbers anywhere except for, like, age, weight, and height). Gives people a better idea of things.

And then, of course, in battle or not, I always make sure to play to the level of my character (rather than the level of my own writing overall; some people seem to forget, when we enter into contests like that, that this is a roleplaying site, after all - even if you can outwrite your opponent, if you don't write to the level of where your character would realistically be based on your descriptions in their profile and what-not, then you've failed the goal). The goals of the profiles, when regarding stuff like that, then, are mainly to give writer and enemy both an understanding of where the character should theoretically be; it's a good baseline to go with if you're writing against somebody and their eight year old character seems awfully strong compared to the Sith Lord they're fighting (yay for hyperbole!).

 

[Reign]

I feel that would be good for a d20 role-play, but in fairness, text-based forum role-play doesn't fit this category. But I think for sake of argument, if people are omitting numbers from sheets and that isn't a problem, then I assume it's forum policy that those numbers carry minimal weight.

Don't get me wrong. There are extremes. Age and wisdom matters some, but those are factors that can't be measured. Me outwitting an opponent based on their choice of action with a logical description of shortfalls, however, bears more weight. Again, I'm not saying the sheet doesn't have value. I play my characters within the domain of their abilities and strengths. And I do so fine after twenty years of this.

While an eight year old would probably lose to a character who is, say, 122, a conclusion between a fully trained Jedi of any age (not necessarily a master) and someone far older and more experienced is not certain. And no sheet has ever been able to dictate this. Again, the canon supports this across the board. Yes, a nobody vs. Yoda would be a tough fight, but as you said, we're assuming all of our characters are of a certain pedigree. So what does it come down to? I'm going to say mistakes a person makes in their offensive or defensive posts and not assumptions you make about your character because you choose to make them a 900 year old sage arbitrarily.

If we're talking about plot? Sure, maybe. But I get the vibe that PVP is a big element here. And if we are talking competitive PVP, I'm going to lean toward the assumption that action in post (under the assumption it fits my character) will trump numbers or lack thereof on a page of paper. Sure, if I play a character who specializes in lightsabers and I make the claim that I can sit there and blast you all day long with force push or pull and overpower you, you can logically swat away that argument if your character possesses that focus.

TL : DR; I think most online forums with stat systems observe stats as a guide in text based role-play. T1, Logic Turn-based combat, any number of other forms rely on post and action as guidance. I'd be a little surprised if this forum was the one exception, and the sheets I see don't seem to make that statement. I take this from the fact that you can omit stats for vague word descriptions that are far less concrete. I would say that in a system like that, it would be common sense that the numbers in my sheet are a loose guide and not a strict road map.

Edit: Again, to clarify, if you say your character is focused in agility and mine is focused in strength, I'm not arguing that my character will be as fast as yours. This is the type of information that matters. But if I write a "4" for speed and you write a "Super fast," what does that mean? Ultimately little. What it means is that we're both fast and that our fight won't be determined by whose sheet says they're faster.​

 

[RedneckLoves]

Yeah, @Reign, you are correct and this forum is certainly not the exception. Some people get their panties in a bunch over number stats, but in reality any numbers on a character sheet mean absolutely nothing when PvPing or general roleplaying. How you write your character is how you write your character. Anything on the CS isn't going to affect PvP outcomes or anything else, it's more of a jumping off point to refer to while writing.

In other news, I love this character too! You're a fantastic writer.

Also.... I've been looking for a better, more narrative way to keep track of what goes on with my characters while I'm actually writing them... And I just might steal your journal idea. It's amazing. :P

 

[Reign]

PS: Updated my first post. Felt underwhelmed with what I had design-wise.

 

[Reign]

Updated: Some more little formatting issues fixed.
Added: Ongoing threads & respective links.